US military sends another warship to the Persian Gulf

WASHINGTON. — The US military has sent another warship to the Persian Gulf with 1 000 marines on board as tension is escalating in several Iraqi cities.
The USS Bataan was sent to the Middle East to join six other warships, according to CNN.
American warships in the region are the USS Arleigh Burke, the USS Truxton, the USS Gunston Hall, the USS George HW Bush, the USS O’Kane, the USS Philippine Sea, and the USS Mesa Verde.

American helicopters and warplanes are also deployed and can be used for a military invasion.
The Pentagon announced on Friday that armed US drones are also flying over Iraq for several days.

The drones are armed with Hellfire missiles to provide air support and force protection in case American troops in Baghdad come under attack.
“We have the necessary forces not only to protect our own forces, but to be prepared should the president (Barack Obama) make a decision to do something more,” a senior Pentagon official said.

On Thursday, the Pentagon said 500 US military forces were in Baghdad while president Obama had authorised the deployment of 300 “military advisers” to Iraq. Earlier this month, president Obama said Takfiri militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) pose a “medium and long-term threat” to his country but he also said that the terrorist group is only one of the groups posing threats against the US and Washington should “be on constant guard.” — Press TV